What's a Pipe That "Smokes Good"?
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Well, this is actually what I'm shooting for in this hobby, so good to know it's achievable.
Too bad though that a developed palate can make a fine pipe taste shitty for months on end.
While I can't claim a highly developed palate for smoke, the statement re: "....a developed palate can make a fine pipe taste shitty for months on end." is hyperbole in extremis. You may well be speaking t.i.c, but I can't be sure.
Finding the answer to the OP's question would be like having the answer to the question "when are boobs considered "big"?
Not really. A better analogy would be someone saying, "I hope this basketball bounces good."
It'll bounce just fine. Unless of course it's poorly manufactured, defective in some way (including being improperly filled), or the player just doesn't know how to bounce a ball.
This thread was one of the reasons I registered because I was intrigued by the topic and some of the replies
On one hand as described in the opening post any non-defective pipe should be capable of delivering a ‘good smoke’ so what’s the mystery (a ‘good smoke’ being the primary function of the overwhelming majority of pipes)
But still being a newbie with pipes I thought about it from the perspective of my other passion (golf) and by way of comparison; any non-defective club is capable of delivering a good strike… (a ‘good strike’ being the primary function of the overwhelming majority of clubs)… so why then am I not rocking up to Augusta next April ?
While build quality and materials will separate the wheat from the chaff, what is it that makes a pipe “smoke good”?
Well I understand the theory of whats required in order to hit a golf ball 250 yards the same way I understand the theory of how to smoke a pipe, it does not follow that I can do either to a ‘good’ standard however other (better) users can take that same item and achieve what I could not
So surely it is simply the user and their ability to extract a ‘good’ performance from the pipe/club?
Although (and perhaps most importantly) ‘good’ is variable, meaning the success/results of whether someone achieves a good smoke/good strike will be fundamentally linked to the skill level of the user and their own frame of reference as to what constitutes a good smoke in the first place
So for me i'll say that a "good smoke" is a better than average result of that person smoking that pipe on that day in that place, it is not a function or feature that can be built into pipe and it does not follow that each use will result in the same outcome
On one hand as described in the opening post any non-defective pipe should be capable of delivering a ‘good smoke’ so what’s the mystery (a ‘good smoke’ being the primary function of the overwhelming majority of pipes)
But still being a newbie with pipes I thought about it from the perspective of my other passion (golf) and by way of comparison; any non-defective club is capable of delivering a good strike… (a ‘good strike’ being the primary function of the overwhelming majority of clubs)… so why then am I not rocking up to Augusta next April ?
While build quality and materials will separate the wheat from the chaff, what is it that makes a pipe “smoke good”?
Well I understand the theory of whats required in order to hit a golf ball 250 yards the same way I understand the theory of how to smoke a pipe, it does not follow that I can do either to a ‘good’ standard however other (better) users can take that same item and achieve what I could not
So surely it is simply the user and their ability to extract a ‘good’ performance from the pipe/club?
Although (and perhaps most importantly) ‘good’ is variable, meaning the success/results of whether someone achieves a good smoke/good strike will be fundamentally linked to the skill level of the user and their own frame of reference as to what constitutes a good smoke in the first place
So for me i'll say that a "good smoke" is a better than average result of that person smoking that pipe on that day in that place, it is not a function or feature that can be built into pipe and it does not follow that each use will result in the same outcome
Yup, the real 'experts' like Tiger etc (no idea who the equivalent pipe smoker is) ? can eek out the tiny increments in the equipment capabilities between good and great but for Joe Public I'd say its actually the lack of negatives (tounge bite, gurgle, packed too tight, too wet/dry, continuous re-lights etc etc etc) that make it a 'good smoke'
A bit off topic but can I ask, do you have any tips/technique to stop bone dry (ready rubbed) tobacco just being sucked up against the draught hole and blocking it?
Mmm while it has merit as a concept I can't help wondering if you’re sending the new lad out to go fetch a ‘long stand’ or a replacement bubble for a spirit level ?
Please don't take offense, it may take my sense of humour a few days to settle in and find the level on these boards ?
Perhaps, it's easier to describe what a bad smoke is. I have 2 pipes I don't use. One is a bend Dublin with plateau that is hard for me to smoke because the bowl is drilled at an angle that makes it hard to tamp, it seems muscle memory trumps fundamentals. The other is also a bend Dublin, I can't seem to keep this one lit. I've tried every kind of tobacco in it but nothing seems compatible. I think the bowl might be too large? I'm thinking about sending both into SmokingPipes' Estate Department.
• When boobs are larger than a volley ball, or any size with apparent silicone, then.
• Giving the jar or bag a slight shake will bring the larger bits to the top. Load a few pinches of that first, then the smaller bits.
• A good smoke is what you deem it to be.
• Drying tobacco first will go a long way to eliminating bite and tongue burn.
• Tamping hard? Remove from the clench and hold the pipe so that it's easy to tamp. Have you photos of the bolshy pipes?
• Giving the jar or bag a slight shake will bring the larger bits to the top. Load a few pinches of that first, then the smaller bits.
• A good smoke is what you deem it to be.
• Drying tobacco first will go a long way to eliminating bite and tongue burn.
• Tamping hard? Remove from the clench and hold the pipe so that it's easy to tamp. Have you photos of the bolshy pipes?
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